Mediocrity is the Opposite of Power

Greetings in the Name of our Lord,  

I am so excited about this coming Sunday. Not only do we have great worship and music planned for Sunday, but we are having Fall Festival for the first time since COVID-19. There will be games, craft vendors, activities, and games for kids and my favorite… trunk or treat with lots of candy. This year we will have not only free candy, but the top three best decorated trunks will get cash prizes. I can’t wait. 

In worship this Sunday I will continue our sermon series on “Here I Am, Lord!” with a sermon on the power Jesus promised with his final words as recorded by Luke in Acts 1:7-8. This is a real promise offered to every follower of Jesus. But… like most promises, we must take the steps to get plugged into the power. 

And to make this weekend even better, the Texas Rangers are in the World Series for the first time in several years. As a long-time baseball fan, I am really excited about the Rangers' success. No one really expected the Rangers to make it this far. They always seem to be able to step their game up at just the right time. Will this be the Rangers' year? Finally? 

For me, sports can be a great analogy of the empowered faith Jesus speaks of in Acts 1:7-8. I recently heard a sports analyst describe an undefeated college team this way: "They tend to play at the level of their opponents. They seem to do only as much as is necessary to win and nothing more." He went on to say, "Their mediocrity will catch up to them; they won't be serious contenders for the national championship this year." 

Mediocrity is the opposite of power. We fall into the trap of thinking partial effort — 80% if necessary, 50% when we can get away with it — is good enough. 

We see this all too often in our faith lives. Following Christ can be a challenge.  Faithful worship, being active in prayer, studying the Bible, and serving as a member of the body of Christ all take time in a time-pressure culture. “How much is enough?” some might ask. 

For me, I do not think it is possible to be a growing and serving disciple of Jesus Christ without weekly worship, weekly participation in a small group, and a daily prayer life. Anything less will compromise our connection to our Lord.

In our faithful service and the level of our financial sharing, again, one can ask the question, “How much is enough?” Only when our sharing frees us from the hold that selfish ambition and greed have on us can we say – “It’s enough!”  For most the biblical call to give 10% is a worthy goal – for some it may not be enough. Service to our Lord is measured in using our gifts in God’s service – to whom much is given, much is required.

King Solomon of ancient Israel put it this way: "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might." (Ecclesiastes 9:10)

Every now and then we need to take a mediocrity check: is there an area of our faith lives that we are approaching only half-heartedly? Is there something we could be doing better? Am I giving my all? Am I plugged into the power of Jesus? 

Howard Hendricks said, "I have never met a Christian who sat down and planned to live a mediocre life. But if you keep going in the direction in which you are moving, you may land there.”

What would our lives be if we lived every day as if we were playing in the World Series? 

See you Sunday and bring lots of candy. 

Pastor John Allen